My Pages

Thursday, 3 May 2012

In any thriving democracy, the right
to assemble and the right to protest should be inalienable and protected by the
constitution and the law.

However, there has been a rather
worrisome development amongst Nigerians in the exercise of these rights that it
is odious, repugnant, reprehensible and beneath contempt.

Some recent events do call for a discussion
on why people gather to protest in support of manifestly corrupt, evil,
deplorable, heinous and shameful situations or people.

As
they gathered

Last year, within the clamour with
regards to the nasty gang-rape of a lady at Abia State University, we had the
governor, the university and even
the police suggested no such criminal activity happened and to compound the
matter, certain students and members of the public rallied in support of the
government line that the report of the was to besmirch the good name of the
state instigated by detractors.

In London, a few months ago when James
Ibori the kleptomaniac ex-governor of Delta State entered a plea of guilty
to charges of money laundering, people trooped out as supporters and
well-wishers suggesting he had suffered an injustice despite the fact that
their champion had conceded his guilt.

At his sentencing a few weeks ago,
more even came out to support him, praise him and had the effrontery to ask the
President to consider a total pardon for his crimes.

Protesting
for the wrong

Just a few weeks ago, at the trial of
a prominent traditional ruler for the rape of young lady, his counsel led the
most egregious cross-examination that at best outraged public decency and in my
view demanded
serious censure when he asked the rape victim to expose in open court the
bruising she might have suffered as a result of her alleged rape.

The trial was adjourned and on its
assumption recently, some people came out to protest in support of the alleged
rapist accusing the government of bias intimidation and thereby conflating the
separation of powers that ensures the independence of the judiciary even if the
prosecutor in the name of the people is in the pay of the state.

An
angle worth exploring

The government of Osun State has
decided to act to pursue and prosecute the protesters on the premise that they
engaged children who were supposed to be in school into an enterprise that was
a bad example in general and by conscripting them to carrying placards on a
matter sub-judice, they had contemned the course of justice.

Obviously, everyone has a right to
protest according to their consciences or in relation to how they have been
persuaded either by sentiment or corrupt inducement, where they crossed the
line was when they dragged minors into their cause – this might well be
innocently or to make up the numbers – either way, the government can make a
strong case from the angle of the Child Rights Act which they intend to invoke
in pursuing the adults involved in the protest.

Walk, stand and sit right

However, we all know that the reason
for this intended prosecution is to deal with the odium of protesting in
support of wrongful causes that are not promotion of rights, truth, justice,
fairness, good, humanity and honesty.

While it is a stretch, we need to
begin to realise that there is consequence and retribution for what the Book of
Psalms 1:1 says quite completely for walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing
in the path of the sinners or sitting in the seat of the scornful.

There is just cause and that cause
must be seen to the end, our reaction to the celebration of the unseemly will
determine where we have reached in progress and civility as a people.